#265

Author

Back of House
August 05, 2025

Issue #265

Avant Gardner goes bankrupt, the FTC finally comes for ticket bots, and Live Nation tightens its global grip with new deals in Mexico and New Zealand. Meanwhile, indie fests join forces, Matty Healy fights for small venues, and tragic news follows Oasis at Wembley. As live events help shape disaster relief, the UK takes steps to better protect its grassroots scenes.

Avant Gardner files for bankruptcy

Avant Gardner has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, claiming financial distress due to the inability to secure permits for and reopen the renovated Brooklyn Mirage. Its indoor venues, Great Hall and Kings Hall, will remain open during the process. The company has over $155 million in secured debt and is facing mounting liabilities including wages and vendor debts. Newly appointed CEO Gary Richards will look to “stabilize the Company’s finances and bring the Mirage back for 2026 and beyond.”

FTC cracks down on BOTS Act violators

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has launched its first major enforcement of the Better Online Ticket Sales (BOTS) Act and Key Investment Group (KIG) - who also operates Total Tickets, Totally, and Front Rose Tix - is fighting back. The FTC is seeking “tens of millions of dollars” in penalties for those who circumvent ticket purchase limits via fake accounts, SIM cards, and software tools. But KIG disputes the charges and has sued the FTC claiming their methods don’t constitute bot use. NITO, however, is backing the effort, and has offered to “assist their efforts anyway we can.”

Live Nation is expanding its global footprint again. In Mexico, LN has increased its stake in OCESA, the country’s largest concert promoter by 24% for an estimated $646 million. This new investment adds to its 2021 investment of $444 million for 51% of the company, giving Live Nation a 75% share. Corporación Interamericana de Entretenimiento (CIE) has kept 25% of the company and Alejandro Soberón, Founder & CEO of Grupo CIE and OCESA, will continue to run it.

On the other side of the world, Live Nation has acquiredTeam Event, a New Zealand-based festival producer, adding Electric Avenue (the largest 2-day festival in the country), Rhythm & Vines, and Australia’s Spilt Milk, among other properties to its arsenal. Financial terms were not disclosed.

Four Independent west-coast music festivals are combating sluggish ticket sales by teaming up to offer a shared “IndepenDANCE Golden Ticket,” a single pass granting access to multiple events at a discounted rate. The now sold-out pass includes access to Joshua Tree Festival (May OR October), Desert Hearts (July), Northern Nights Music Festival (July), and Same Same But Different (September). This creative strategy boosts visibility and value for fans and organizers and is a sign of growing solidarity and innovation within the indie live event sector.

The 1975 frontman Matty Healy is championing the Seed Sounds Weekender, a UK-wide grassroots festival September 26 - 28 that spans over 1,000 independent "seed" venues hosting new artists. Healy called out the erosion of small venues as a threat to cultural vibrancy, aiming to shine a spotlight on the vital role of these venues for young artists like The 1975, to “cut their teeth.”

On Saturday night, an Oasis fan fell to his death during the band’s show at Wembley. The fan was seated in section 511 and fell about 170’. Medics were on the scene immediately, but he was pronounced dead at the scene. The fall happened at the end of the show, the 4th out of 7 the band was scheduled to play at Wembley. Sunday’s show went on as scheduled.

As live events are increasingly looking to mobile microgrids, solar‐battery hybrids, and smart energy grids to combat climate change and allow them to operate in challenging conditions, they are also helping industries outside of entertainment solve similar challenges. Most notably, these tools and tactics are also being used in the event of emergencies and natural disasters that need quick access to emergency power for communication and shelters, such as the recent fires in LA and floods in Texas. It shouldn’t be much of a surprise that events are excellent testing grounds for disaster relief zones. Pretty cool.

THE UK Government has responded to the industry-led Licensing Taskforce by streamlining the planning and licensing rules to help open more pubs, bars, and music venues while fast-tracking approvals for street events and nighttime hospitality. Crucially, the new framework now makes developers responsible for soundproofing any new residential buildings near existing live-music venues, a long-sought protection supported by grassroots operators who highlighted venue closures driven by noise complaints. Music Venue Trust (MVT) supports the framework and believes it will help improve grassroots venues.

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  • Fever is looking for a contract Event General Manager to lead and manage the operations of a large-scale, outdoor immersive experience in the Philadelphia, PA area between mid-October 2025 and mid-March 2026. Salary: $38/Hour. 

  • The National Cherry Blossom Festival is hiring an Event Operations Manager to oversee festival and associated events in Washington, DC. Salary $60,000 - $65,000. 

  • 100x Hospitality is looking for a Director of Ticketing Strategy & Operations in Philadelphia, PA to oversee all operations of ticketing strategy for its portfolio of events. 

  • Intellitix is seeking a remote Marketing Manager to own and execute the company’s marketing strategy in Canada.

Live Nation keeps expanding—what does this latest move signal to you?

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Lineups, Festival & Tour Announcements 

  • The Otis Redding Foundation’s King Of Soul Music Festival is set for September 12 - 13 in Macon, GA with Preservation Hall Jazz Band. The fest benefits the newly opened Otis Redding Center for the Arts in Macon.

  • Shaboozey, Fireboy DML, and Red Leather will headline Empire 15, a free concert produced by Another Planet Entertainment and the City of San Francisco, on September 13 in Civic Center Plaza in San Francisco, CA. 

  • Gods of Chaos will be headlined by Three 6 Mafia, October 31 at the Byline Bank Aragon Ballroom in Chicago, IL. 

  • Joe Walsh’s VetsAid will feature Vince Gill, Ryan Bingham and The Texas Gentlemen along with a super-set from Walsh and friends, November 15 at Intrust Bank Arena in Wichita, KS. 

  • Chris Young is setting out on his first ever “It Must Be Christmas – An Acoustic Evening with Chris Young” Christmas tour, starting on November 20 in Cedar Rapids, IA and ending December 20 in Wallingford, CT. 

  • T-Pain, mgk, Zedd will perform in front of the Las Vegas Sphere during F1 Las Vegas, November 20 - 22. 

  • The 20-date Allman Betts Family Revival Tour, hosted by Devon Allman and Duane Betts will include Robert Randolph, Amanda Shires, Jimmy Hall, and Cody & Luther Dickinson, will kick off November 29 in Saint Louis, MO and wrap up December 18 in Lubbock, TX. 

  • Tahoe Live will return to Palisades Tahoe from December 12 - 14 with Zeds Dead, Porter Robinson, and Alison Wonderland, in Lake Tahoe, CA.

Cancealtions, Changes

  • JP Saxe has canceled his 32-date “Make Yourself At Home Tour” and was brutally honest about the lack of ticket sales that led to the cancellation. 

  • Stevie Nicks has postponed the August and September dates of her solo tour due to a shoulder injury. The new dates run from October 28 - December 10. All previously scheduled October dates will proceed as scheduled.

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